Toolless thumb screw with adjustable height knob

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a mounting system for components in the housing of a computer server. The mounting system is preferably a height-adjustable thumb screw assembly, which allows for the components to be installed or removed without the use of tools. In a preferred embodiment, a thumb screw assembly capable of securing components to a chassis includes a screw and a gripping accessory. The screw preferably has a threaded portion, a shank portion, and a head portion, wherein a first groove extends along the shank portion and a second groove intersects the first groove under the head portion. The gripping accessory preferably has an outer gripping surface, a retaining socket, and a hub, wherein a grip is positioned inside the hub for matingly engaging the grooves of the screw.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a structural method of mountingcomponents into a computer housing. More precisely, the presentinvention relates to a thumb screw assembly allowing the installationand removal of components in the computer housing, without the use oftools.

2. Background of the Relevant Art

The present invention relates to a fastener. It is particularlybeneficial for securing components in a computer system such as aserver. The following background and description of the preferredembodiments describes the fastener in that context. However, the scopeof the preferred embodiments and the claims which follow should not beso limited, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

The necessity for specialized computer equipment has increaseddramatically over recent years. Corporations, both large and small, aswell as individual consumers have come to depend on computers to enhanceand assist them in a broad assortment of tasks. For the individual orsmall business, personal computers are typically relatively compact andstreamlined, often comprising a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, and a CPU“box” that sits on a desktop or on the floor. These personal computers,although considered compact when deployed in relatively small numbers,can be quite cumbersome and bulky when deployed in larger quantities. Itis not uncommon for an organization to require several computers to actas servers controlling their local area networks. For largercorporations that require numerous servers, the traditional CPU packageis not practical to house servers. For such operations, an industrystandard EIA (Electronics Industries Alliance) rack is often used tocontain servers in a stacked arrangement that uses the available spacemore efficiently.

Such electronics racks are relatively simple structures that closelyresemble an open-frame cabinet without shelves. Computerserver/component racks are typically constructed with perforated, hingedfront-doors, rigid sides and a removable rear panel. Industry standard19″ EIA electronics racks are designed typically to house a column ofelectronics packages that are 17¾″ in width and with varying depths. Theheight of an electronics package can vary but, to be compatable with therack mounting structure, must be an integer multiple of an EIA unitcalled simply the “U.” An EIA U is 1.75 inches. Electronic equipmentgenerally has a height in multiples of “Us” e.g., 1U (1.75″), 2U(3.50″), 3U (5.25″), etc. Although it is preferred height of theelectronics components be a multiple of the standard EIA unit U, thedimension of the EIA unit is understood to represent a maximum allowableheight, including both the height of the component and any clearancerequired. This amount of clearance aides in the installation of the rackmounted electronics and promotes interference free insertion andremoval.

Typically, electronic components may be secured within the rack using apair of drawer slides. The drawer slides, usually ball-bearing supportedrails, are secured in place within the rack frame. Corresponding railsare located on the side surfaces of the electronics component to bemounted, thus allowing the component to be pulled in and out of the rackframe easily to allow quick and frequent access.

As the computing needs of both large and small businesses increase,there is increasing demand for computer servers to become smaller andmore compact. This demand is coupled with the demand that the systems beeasier to maintain and service. A typical server comprises at least one,and often more than one, of each of the following components: systemboard including processors and memory; power supplies; disk drives,including hard disks, floppy drives, CD-ROM drives, etc.; peripheralcomponent interface (PCI) buses, and cooling fans. These components aretypically manufactured separate from the computer housing or chassis,and then they are mounted in the computer chassis during final assembly.

Mounting all of these components in a densely packed server, some assmall as 1U or 2U, creates many interface issues associated withmaintaining and accessing the server. For example, the chassis may havea slot positioned to receive some components (e.g., a disk drive orCD-ROM drive), or the chassis may have a connector to receive othercomponents (e.g., PCI assemblies). Several components may be coupled tothe chassis with a bracket. When the component is a disk drive or aCD-ROM drive, the slot in the chassis receives the bracket to couple thecomponent to the chassis. When the component is a PCI assembly(including PCI card and cage), the bracket may be secured to the chassisusing fasteners.

One conventional method for installing a plurality of PCI assemblies ina computer chassis involves attaching a mounting bracket to each PCIassembly and then individually connecting each bracket to the chassiswith a threaded fastener. Each threaded fastener passes through anaperture in the bracket and is secured in a threaded hole in the chassisto clamp the bracket to the chassis and restrict relative motion betweenthe PCI assembly and the chassis. Such a method may be employed by amanufacturer of custom computers to produce computers that have variousnumbers of PCI assemblies.

One drawback with the foregoing approach is that the fasteners mayaccidentally fall into the spaces between neighboring assemblies and maybe difficult to retrieve without removing the assemblies from thechassis.

Another drawback is that the installed fastener may not extend furtherthan the tallest component (typically the PCI cage) due to chassis sizeconstraints. As discussed above, there is increasing demand for serversto become smaller. Because the chassis is the frame, which holds thecomputer components, it is desirable for it to have a minimum height.However, the chassis size is limited by the tallest component (PCI cage)within it. As a result, the installed fastener is designed to sit flushwith the surrounding components. In order to tighten the fastener inplace, a fastening tool, such as a screwdriver, may be required toensure that the fastener is fully secured and sits flush with itssurrounding components. Although generally satisfactory, it would beeven more desirable to operate the fastener without tools. Tool-lessinstallation is particularly desirable for large systems that requirefrequent service. The use of a tool is undesirable because it isinconvenient and may slip and damage the PCI assembly or othercomponents during installation.

Therefore, there remains a need in the art for an arrangement thatallows for easy installation and removal of components from a servercomputer without using any tools. The present invention overcomes thedeficiencies of the prior art while focusing on these needs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art byproviding a system to mount components in the housing of a computerserver. The mounting system is preferably a thumb screw assembly, whichallows for the components to be installed or removed without the use oftools.

In a preferred embodiment, a thumb screw assembly capable of securingcomponents to a chassis includes a screw and a gripping accessory. Thescrew preferably has a threaded portion, a shank portion, and a headportion, wherein a first groove extends along the shank portion and asecond groove intersects the first groove under the head portion. Thegripping accessory preferably has an outer gripping surface, a retainingsocket, and a hub, wherein a grip is positioned inside the hub formatingly engaging the grooves of the screw.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more detailed description of the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, reference will now be made to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 a perspective view of a dense computer server in accordance witha preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of a thumb screw assembly inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an installed thumb screw assembly inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 5a-5 c are perspective views of a thumb screw assembly inaccordance with a preferred embodiment in a variety of configurations.

NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE

Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claimsto refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art willappreciate, computer companies may refer to a component by differentnames. This document does not intend to distinguish between componentsthat differ in name but not function. In the following discussion and inthe claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in anopen-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including,but not limited to . . . ”. Also, the term “couple” or “couples” isintended to mean either an indirect or direct electrical connection.Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection maybe through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirectelectrical connection via other devices and connections.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In order to fully describe the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, reference will be made throughout this description to acomputer server. The particular server referenced has a PCI cage mountedusing one embodiment of the present invention. It is understood,however, that the principles and concepts of the present invention arenot limited to use in a server, but is applicable to securing componentsin virtually any application and, in particular to space-limitedapplications. The scope of the invention is only limited by the claimsand not by this description.

FIG. 1 illustrates a server assembly 10 incorporating one embodiment ofa thumb screw assembly 25. Server assembly 10 includes a chassis 24, asystem board 12, disk drives 14, power supplies 16, and a circuit cardassembly 19. Chassis 24 is preferably constructed from a hard resin ormetal and serves as a housing for system board 12, disk drives 14, powersupplies 16, and circuit card assembly 19. Circuit card assembly 19includes at least one card 18 (e.g., a PCI card) and a cage 20. Cage 20is roughly constructed from a casing 21, which is comprised of thinmetal plates.

A slide rail 22 is located on either side of the chassis 24 andinterfaces with the server cabinet (not shown). During normal operation,a cover (not shown) attaches to the chassis 24 fully enclosing theserver assembly 10 and the assembly 10 is contained within a servercabinet. To perform maintenance on the server assembly 10, it ispartially extended from the cabinet on rails 22, similar to opening adrawer. The cover is then removed to expose the internal components.

In a preferred embodiment, cage 20 is connected to chassis 24 via thumbscrew assembly 25. Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, thumb screw assembly25 includes a screw 26 and a gripping accessory 36, which may be formedof plastic, die-cast metal, or other suitable materials. Screw 26includes a threaded portion 27, a shank portion 28, and a head portion29. Head portion 29 has a peripheral surface 30 and a rounded edge 31.Typically in the manufacturing of screw 26, certain minor diametertolerances are absorbed in the back draft portion 32. Screw 26 includesa small groove 33 under back draft portion 32 and a large groove 34 thatintersects small groove 33 and travels down the length of screw 26.

Gripping accessory 36 includes an outer gripping surface 37, a retainingsocket 38, and a hub 39. While the outer gripping surface 37 is shown inFIG. 3 as a beveled surface, it is contemplated that gripping surface 37is not so limited. For example, gripping surface 37 may be a rigid,circular surface or a polygonal surface. Any change to gripping surface37 should, however, be designed so as to facilitate the easy grippingand manipulation of gripping accessory 36.

In a preferred embodiment, hub 39 is concentrically positioned withinthe retaining socket 38 and is coaxial therewith. Hub 39, similar to theretaining socket 38, is integrally formed with the bottom surface 40 ofgripping accessory 36. Positioned on the inside portion of hub 39 is agrip 41. In assembly, grip 41 matingly engages screw 26 by sliding intogrooves 33 and 34.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the thumb screw assembly 25 is shown installedin chassis 24 adjacent to cage 20, securing cage 20 onto chassis 24 viamount 50. Mount 50 includes a mount body 51, having a main portion 52and a bottom portion 53, connected by means 54 such as knobs, screws, orthe like. Mount 50 is preferably assembled prior to installing thumbscrew assembly 25. In a preferred embodiment, a spring 45 engaginglysurrounds the shank 28 of thumb screw assembly 25, such that whenpressure is applied to thumb screw assembly 25, it pushes back.

To install the thumb screw assembly 25, the gripping accessory 36 isextended to its maximum height. Grip 41 is forced into groove 33 andturned clockwise or counterclockwise to secure gripping accessory 36 inthis extended position. Holding gripping surface 37, thumb screwassembly 25 is rotated clockwise, so that threaded portion 27 is securedinto chassis 24 by a receiving zone (not shown). When threaded portion27 is fully received, gripping accessory 36 is rotated so that grip 41is forced into groove 34, allowing the gripping accessory 36 to belowered so that its top surface 42 is flush with screw 26's head portion29.

FIGS. 5a-5 c show the thumb screw assembly 25 at a variety of stages. InFIG. 5a, the thumb screw assembly 25 is in the seated position (grippingaccessory 36 is lowered). In FIG. 5b, the gripping accessory 36 ispulled up for hand access. In FIG. 5c, the thumb screw assembly 25 is inthe unscrewed position. As can be seen, the present thumb screw assemblyis height-adjustable, allowing it to be fully installed or removedwithout the use of tools, even when it is abutting another component,which would otherwise make it impossible to grip the screw.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription thereto are not intended to limit the invention to theparticular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within thespirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A thumb screw assembly capable of securingcomponents to a chassis comprising: a screw comprising: a threadedportion; a shank portion; and a head portion; wherein a first grooveextends along said shank portion and a second groove intersects thefirst groove under said head portion; and a gripping accessorycomprising: an outer gripping surface; a retaining socket; and a hub;wherein a grip is positioned inside said hub for matingly engaging thegrooves of said screw.
 2. The thumb screw assembly of claim 1 furtherincluding a spring engagingly surrounding the shank portion of saidscrew.
 3. The thumb screw assembly of claim 1 wherein the height of saidthumb screw assembly is adjustable.
 4. The thumb screw assembly of claim1 wherein said thumb screw assembly can be engaged and disengagedwithout any tools.